Newton Scamander's wand

Historical information

Master(s)

Owner(s)

"We wanted it to relate somehow to the animal kingdom, but we thought it was sort-of inappropriate to give him anything that might have a trophy feel to it. We didn’t think he would be into that at all. The main part of this one is wood."

Behind the scenes

Actor Eddie Redmayne chose the wand from a number of different designs because he loved that it was very simple, and made of organic materials. He thought it was suitable for Newt and his love of creatures. It was also made of timber, which Eddie liked because it looked like it was "whittled". It has something carved into the end that slips into Eddie's hand when he holds it.[4]

In The Case of Beasts: Explore the Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the entry for Newt's wand reads, "'Wands are weird', says head prop maker Pierre Bohana, whose team were responsible for creating the ones used in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, 'because they can be so simple, literally a stick. They are always absolutely bespoke to the characters. With Newt's they wanted something they could trace back to an animal component. Obviously they didn't want anything macabre, so the handle is made of a piece of shell but it's very tubular, like a sandworm shell in feel, but with a pearling effect. The tip was a piece of ash, fairly worn down. It had a lot of character, chips, knocks and bangs to show a full life, a well-worked life.'" In a group interview conducted separately with Harry Potter propmaster Pierre Bohanna, we learned Newt’s movie wand has lime wood, shell, bone and other elements to reflect his consideration of animals[5]

According to the prop designer in an interview included on the Blu Ray special features, Newt's wand was made to show his respect for animals and the environment. The handle was made from belemnite, which is a fossilised inner skeleton of ancient squids.[6]

Eddie Redmayne was once stopped at an airport, where he had to explain why he was carrying a sharp piece of wood, with a little shell stuck to the bottom.[7]

In an interview with the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Eddie Redmayne said he believed that the wand "certainly came from Ollivanders" and that it was made of ash wood with mother-of-pearl, but the information remains unconfirmed.[1]